


and when it wasn't raining, a diamond dust took over.

by thackeryisatop



Category: RuPaul's Drag Race (US) RPF
Genre: F/F, Lesbian AU, Parenthood AU, Slice of Life, Stepmoms AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-28
Updated: 2021-01-28
Packaged: 2021-03-14 13:07:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,017
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29046627
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thackeryisatop/pseuds/thackeryisatop
Summary: In which; Brooke and Vanessa are wives with teenage daughters; and their lives and families have knit together just as you'd expect- loudly and with a whole lot of love and ridiculousness.When Vanessa's daughter's father wants to be back in her life; everyone's skeptical but surprised it seems to be going well- until one day changes everything, and they discover the bonds between their families are much stronger than they thoughtCW: Mentions of messy relationships with parents, divorce, and rejection.
Relationships: Brooke Lynn Hytes/Vanessa Vanjie Mateo
Comments: 15
Kudos: 20





	and when it wasn't raining, a diamond dust took over.

**Author's Note:**

  * For [tumble4rpdr](https://archiveofourown.org/users/tumble4rpdr/gifts).



> Written as an inbox fic for @tumblr4rpdr literally ...a year ago, if not more. 
> 
> I had thought of fleshing out this universe much more; and there's a lot of background noise, but I thought this little slice was strong enough to post on its own, so I hope you all enjoy my "first" foray into lesbian writing for these two! 
> 
> Hopefully it does all make sense, and I'm just being dramatic with the summary- it's fluffy , Moms! Promise! 
> 
> [Hopefully, you all enjoy Brooke's daughter's names the most!]

These days, Vanessa tries to worry less. 

Kameron isn’t who he used to be; the fast-taking asshole she remembers so well replaced by a man who goes to work at a desk and wears a suit to work- who calls her weekly and makes sure that he knows everything about Izzy, catching up on everything he’s missed. 

His fridge is stocked with Izzy’s favourites, and the guest room has a TV and fuzzy blankets, and lights with a dimmer so she doesn’t have to sleep in the dark right away; a secret so intimate that Vanessa had only told him after Kameron had raised the topic of Izzy having a room there, just in case she needed privacy or wanted to take a nap. 

She had been waiting for the other shoe to drop; waiting for Kameron to rail her out on the phone for raising a kid who still couldn’t handle the dark even though she already had her learner’s permit; but it hadn’t come. 

“I’d like her to feel safe. It won’t be a problem.”, Kameron had said. “And you know I’ll do anything for you.”, he joked- and for the very first time since they had been an item- he made her laugh. 

“Just play it cool though. You know how kids be- you gotta tell Izzy it’s for the environment to save the turtles, you got that?” 

“Why don’t you tell her yourself- I will see you when you drop her off, right? Come inside and stay a while.”

Vanessa had agreed enthusiastically then, and that’s why she doesn’t worry at all, when Kameron comes to pick up his daughter- their daughter- to take her to his office’s holiday party; a real gala affair that Vanessa wouldn’t ever be able to afford tickets to, even if she pulled two weeks of twelve hour days. 

Hadley had taken her shopping for a pretty royal green satin dress , and Harper was upstairs making sure that Izzy’s makeup was perfect, while Hunter was lying on the couch, her head in Brooke’s lap while Brooke idly played with her daughter’s hair. The youngest of their girls had been having a rough week; getting over both a round of the flu and her boyfriend in the tenth grade breaking up with her via DM; the cruelty of life as a teenager no more acute in their household than in was when Harper had burst into Vanessa and Brooke’s bedroom to cuddle- crying with fever and dejection. Vanessa had been left wet and utterly cold in a pair of vibrating panties underneath one of Brooke’s giant t-shirts, rolling out of bed to clean herself up and let the two of them have their moment. 

Vanessa hadn’t realized how single she had been when it had just been her and Izzy either; until she’d been in the bathroom; wondering if something like that had ever happened with her own daughter. 

(It hadn’t, and Izzy had been a crying mess more than enough times that it should have.)

“If you guys get married does that mean that Bella’s dad will be like, my stepdad too? Please? He actually has a car with Wifi.”, Hunter told them, rolling her eyes up at her mother. 

“You mean he has a death trap that can be hacked by anyone with a jammer and an agenda.”, Brooke said, shaking her head. “Why do you need Wifi anyway? Talking to me and your sisters isn’t fun enough?” 

“Only you would call it fun, Mom.”

“Fine, it’s _educational_.” 

Even Vanessa had to roll her eyes at that.

She hadn’t noticed, Izzy and the other girls were already by the door, buckling her daughter into a pair of skyscraping yellow heels. 

“What if I trip...?”, Izzy was asking them, rising to just below her sisters’ eye level. 

“Then you can make out with all the guys who are gonna be on the floor when you walk up in there.”, Vanessa filled in for her, grinning as Izzy pointedly turned away from her. 

“You look gorgeous, baby.”, she added, and Izzy melted into her arms for a hug. Even though Vanessa knew she still had a couple of inches on her in real life- there was something strange about her resting her chin on Vanessa’s head. 

It felt like sending her off to college- and Vanessa had chosen this city specifically so she would only be moving a train ride away at most.

“Are you sure?” 

“I ain’t lying! C’mon, we gonna go wait up outside for your dad.” 

* * *

Several hours later, Harper was off to work in her crisply ironed Red Lobster uniform, dropping off Hadley and Hunter at the movies on her way, which meant their house was blessedly silent and absolutely empty. 

Of course, Brooke was thrilled Hunter had been feeling well enough to go out; but she was more thrilled with her girlfriend, who was three fingers deep inside of her and pumping in tandem with her tight hips, readying her tongue to plunge between Brooke’s legs in their bed- 

The doorbell rang. 

“Fuck- it’s probably just the Amazon man. Or the Sephora man with the way these girls be going through they makeup.” 

Brooke agreed with a wave of her hand, letting her hand settle in Vanessa’s hair to apply some light, downward pressure. 

Another ring. 

Vanessa had ignored it, her dark locks disappearing underneath the hem of Brooke’s teddy-

Three shorter buzzes, one after the other, rang through the house. 

“ _Fuck- fuck- fuck-_ “, Vanessa shot up in seconds- “That’s me and Izzy’s crisis Code. _Shit-_ “

She and Brooke scrambled to get themselves out of bed, Vanessa racing down the stairs without even bothering to check her reflection in the mirror, while Brooke tied a satin robe around her waist and raced after her girlfriend. 

Sure enough, Izzy was on their doorstep; her shoes having been chucked off in the corner of their front porch, and her makeup half cried-off, the dress that Hadley had raved about picking out for her sporting a rip up the back. 

Had something happened- 

_No-_ Vanessa told herself- Kameron would have handled it if someone had gotten drunk and handsy- and it wasn’t that kind of party, anyway. 

She threw open the door, expecting to have her daughter in her arms and figure out what exactly was going on, but instead, Izzy shoved her back as she came through the entryway. 

_ “I hate you.”  _

“Wh-“

She was storming up the stairs, past Brooke, when Vanessa finally recovered enough from the total shock to remember-

“Izzy, where’s your jacket?”

_“Fuck you!”_

* * *

“If she doesn’t come out of there in the next ten minutes, I’m calling Courtney.”, Brooke said, watching as Vanessa paced the hallway outside of Izzy’s room. She had called Kameron three times, all going to voicemail, before he picked up on the fourth call and had told her that Izzy had left the party early and he had put her in a company car, even texting along a picture of the driver to assure Vanessa nothing could have happened with a woman who looked like she was in her early sixties, and their “precious” daughter. 

“She told me she was over it, so I said fine; we call it an early night, and she said you guys would be home, so I thought she’d call you before just showing up.”, he said. 

“Izzy was a fucking wreck when she got here. I- you’re sure she was okay all night?”

“Yeah... emotional I guess but she was...on her phone on the way over so I thought it was some boy-“ 

“And you didn’t care to ask?”, Vanessa nearly screamed into her phone. 

“I just thought it was girl problems, you know?”

“What the fuck are _girl p_ roblems? You’re her father- if Izzy has a problem, it’s _your_ problem, too.” 

Kameron paused at that, the line silent for a spare few seconds. “Vanessa, I have to go. I’ll call downstairs and ask them where exactly they dropped her off to and see if I can talk to the driver, and we’ll go from there. Okay?” 

“Great. Yeah- fine.”, Vanessa snapped. 

“And come over tomorrow, yeah? I’ll have her jacket at the house, it’s got her license and her cards in it.”

“Fuck- I- Yeah, see you then.”, she said, finally ending the call as she sank down the wall outside her daughter’s bedroom beside Brooke, who was leaning against the doorframe. 

“He said- he put Izzy in a car with some grandma and doesn’t know where she dropped my baby off to- Fuck- she could have- she could have met up with some boy and- Babe, do we call the cops?”

“Not...yet.”, Brooke started, having never dealt with something like this before. The girls came home crying all the time- but usually their sisters weren’t far behind with the whole story. Izzy had been alone, and Brooke had watched enough 48 Hours Mystery episodes to be worried, too. 

“Did you call Courtney already?”, asked Vanessa. 

“No- I-“ Brooke stood beside the door, thinking of what she had seen Steve do whenever the girls wanted nothing to do with her. 

“Bella? Hey, this is Brooke. I was just wondering if we could talk. You’re not in trouble, I just think you need someone right now-“ 

Just like when Steve did it, the door unlocked with a click. 

“Can I come in? It’ll just be me.” 

“Yes.” 

Brooke disappeared behind the door, shutting it before Vanessa could squeeze her way inside. 

It felt like hours before the two of them finally shuffled out, Brooke’s sullen face a match to Izzy’s puffy eyes and pale cheeks. Brooke had clearly cleaned her up, and she was wearing the pyjamas Vanessa remembered searching through half the mall to find, a sweater layered on top. 

“I’m sorry I said I hated you and told you to fuck off.”, Izzy muttered, her voice clearly shot from all of the crying. 

“Oh baby, it’s- it’s just that I wanted to make sure you were okay.”, Vanessa’s voice flooding with relief as Izzy drew closer for a hug. 

“Why don’t we go and talk about all of this downstairs? I’ll put on a pot of hot chocolate.” 

* * *

With a mug of hot chocolate and a healthy serving of marshmallows piled on top, it didn’t take long for the whole story to come out. 

“I was coming back from the bathroom and... There were these ladies from Da- from Kameron’s office and they asked why they didn’t know that he had a daughter... and he told them that I wasn’t. I was just the biggest mistake he’d ever made but my mom- you were still super hot and so he thought he’d get lucky if he was nice to me.”, Izzy said, her voice so flat that Vanessa knew her heart was completely broken.

And it was all Vanessa’s fault. She’d been the one who called Kameron, and the one who had kept in touch with him- leading him on even though he had known she had a girlfriend. 

_God, how could she have been so stupid?_

Of _course_ Kameron would have a stunt up his sleeve.

“So I... I wanted to go but I didn’t know who to talk to so I had to go back in there and talk to...him...and I told him I just wanted to go home. He didn’t- he didn’t want me to because he knew I would tell you so he- he was trying to stop me and he grabbed me- and that’s why my dress got ripped. Hadley’s gonna be so mad-“

“I’m sure she’ll understand, sweetheart.”, Brooke said, hoping she sounded soothing. 

“No she won’t...”, Izzy muttered. “Steve’s a nice dad. She’ll think something must be wrong with me to make Kameron hate me so much. But... everyone hates me anyway so maybe she already knew that.” 

“Isabella, no one hates you.”, Vanessa began.

Her deep brown eyes flashed with rage for a moment. 

“Maybe... but everyone loves you- Kameron... Brooke... they just put up with me for you.”, she snapped. 

“That’s not true. You’re so special to me. And-“, Brooke started. 

“You’re fucking my mother. So I get it. I’m special until she isn’t in your bed anymore.” 

“ _Isabella Mateo!_ ” Vanessa’s hand slammed down on the table; glowering at her daughter. “Apologize.” 

“Why? I thought you hated liars. Well, your girlfriend’s a big one.”, she snapped. “Big fucking liar. Huge.”

“Bella, I’m not lying. I love your mom but- I couldn’t imagine this place without you.”

Brooke reached forward, her hand settling on Izzy’s shoulder. 

“Really. And I know my girls feel the same. You’re all of their favourite sister- which is a big deal!”, Brooke chuckled. “They never like all the same things.” 

“Their taste is _shit_ then.” 

“Well... their fashion choices are a bit suspect.”, Brooke joked easily, tucking a stray strand of hair behind Izzy’s ear. “But maybe we can work together on making that better, right?” 

Izzy doesn’t say anything, her gaze falling back to the floor while Vanessa chews on the inside of her cheek, not knowing what to say. 

How was it that Brooke was better with her baby, now of all times?

“I just- he wasn’t ever my _Dad_ you know? I didn’t expect that we’d ever be... perfect. I just thought that he’d be this other person and I’d be... worth it. For once I’d be enough for someone without having to work so hard to be _someone_ anyone would ever want.”, Izzy said, so quietly that Vanessa couldn’t take it anymore. 

That man had to _pay_. 

* * *

“ _Babe..._ as your unofficial lawyer, I have to tell you that this is... not a good idea.”, Brooke told her girlfriend, while Vanessa laced up her boots; sitting beside the girls’ softball bats on the front porch. 

“At least I can afford more than the public defender this time.”, Vanessa muttered, pulling her keys from her purse. “That bitch isn’t going to remember where he lives when I’m done with his dumb ho ass.” 

“Is that a threat of violence?”

“Against his ninety-grand Escalade, Yeah. I’m gonna make that shrimp dick motherfucker cry as hard as he made my baby... and I might kick him in the nuts. I don’t know yet.” 

“Vanessa-“

“What? Brooke- I... I know that this ain’t your scene but- what the fuck else am I going to do? Izzy’s never been like that- she’s never- she broke her ankle in two places last year and the guy she dated for six months back in Florida broke up with her before Christmas- she’s never been that bad. He put his hands on my daughter and told her she wasn’t shit to him- What the fuck kind of mother am I if I don’t even make this fucker pay?” 

“How are you going to make him pay? Destroying his car? That’s going to make Izzy feel better?” 

“Well when you put it that way...”, Vanessa muttered, peeking around the corner to see Izzy on the couch, curled up in one of her favourite blankets, the TV on to a show she knew her daughter didn’t even watch, just a bit of white noise to take her mind off of things as she worked slowly on her dinner plate. Usually, Izzy would be inhaling seconds; loudly yelling at the people on TV to stop being so dumb. 

Vanessa hated to see her so hurt; knowing that it was a much deeper wound than one she could fix with a hug and a warm meal. 

“Do you think she’ll be okay if we just...if we give her some time?”, she asked Brooke, falling into her girlfriend’s chest, the fight seeping out of her as they watched Izzy on the couch. 

“Time is good... but I’ll call Courtney and see if she has some time this week. Would that be okay?” 

“I- yeah I guess that would be good.” 

In the meantime though, Vanessa knew what she had to do- crossing the hallway and settling beside her daughter on the cushions. 

“I’m sorry, baby. Sometimes, men are just _shit_.” 

* * *

Vanessa didn’t know for how long she had Izzy all to herself, episodes blurring together as Izzy had snuggled closer to her, eventually falling asleep while Vanessa absently carded fingers through her hair, and wished that Izzy had inherited Kameron’s hardness rather than only his lighter hair. 

It would have made everything easier for her, Vanessa thought, hating how she and Izzy both got hurt so easily, and shattered like fine china. She’d had years to toughen up, but it was just too hard to do- and Vanessa hoped it wouldn’t be the same for Izzy. 

How could Kameron have called her a mistake? Izzy was beautiful and funny, sweet and so caring and thoughtful and kind that Vanessa couldn’t believe she’d raised her. 

Kameron had never even called her back. 

_ Figured. _

He’d known the whole time what had happened and still let Vanessa worry.

_ Bitch.  _

Vanessa’s thoughts were broken up by the sound of the other girls coming through the door; a flurry of activity as shoes and jackets were tossed into the closet. 

“Hey Hunter- looks like you gave Izzy your darksided flu.”, Hadley called out, as she passed the two of them on the couch. “Hey Vanessa.” 

“For real? Hey, I’ll get the cough syrup then.”, Hunter was right behind her, headed up to the kitchen. “And those heating pads. The headache is the absolute worst-“ 

“I’m not sick.”, Izzy spoke up from Vanessa’s lap- peeking up over the back of the couch. 

“I just kind of found out my biological father is a massive asswipe who was only using me to get to my Mom. It’s whatever.”

Vanessa had to snort at her description. Izzy was like her mini-me, and sometimes that wasn’t the worst thing. 

“He was doing _what-?_ ”, Harper screeched, as she rushed up the stairs. “Mom, where’s my softball stuff?”, she shouted at Brooke’s bedroom door. 

“ _And Izzy! Where does that deadbeat live?_ ” 

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading!
> 
> If there's any interest, I might write some more of this universe! Ask me if anything was kind of unclear, or you need more details! 
> 
> Happy New Year!
> 
> Also- no Kameron bashing intended here; I just wanted to keep my cast "in-universe", and Kameron is obviously not the Kameron we all know and love!


End file.
